Both candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party have expressed their intention to introduce free ports on a larger scale. The Lichfield Lib Dems have a few questions regarding the candidates' policies (expressed in full below), which have been forwarded in my name to our MP, Michael Fabricant, asking him to obtain answers from the candidates. His attention, as someone who enjoys walking in the countryside, has been drawn to the maps of the proposed free port areas, which include National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The first duty of a government is the safety of its people. But few things are more important to safety than health.

Currently it's dentistry in the news. The BBC found that nine in 10 NHS dental practices across the UK are not accepting new adult patients for treatment under the health service.

But surely health care ought to be in the news every day with the challenges it faces. Long waits to be seen in primary care, all ambulance trusts recently on the highest alert level, over 6 million people are waiting for treatment and emergency department 4 hour waits six times higher than the standard.

Following the resignation of Prime Minister Johnson today, local Liberal Democrats commented on the national political scene.

"To be honest, it's a big relief," said Paul Ray, Lichfield District and City Councillor. "We seem to have spent the past three years or so listening to ever more improbable promises which we knew were never to be fulfilled. In addition, the constant U-turns and reversals have exposed the lack of honesty from the government, and it's been going on for far too long."

It seems that 35% of Britons in a recent survey agree with the government's policy of sending undocumented visitors to this country to Rwanda. 45% disagree with it.

However, the waters have been muddied by deliberate misinformation and obfuscation by the proposers of this scheme.

First, the basis on which this has been agreed is by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). A MoU, unlike a treaty, is not subject to oversight and ratification by Parliament. This MoU is something which very few people seem to have actually read. However, it is available for reading here, and it does make for interesting reading.

We believe Councillor Ashton's letter will be of interest to our readers:

The First Lord of the Treasury and Prime Minister (A.B.de P. Johnson), 10 Downing Street, London SW1A 2AA

27 May 2022

Dear Mr Johnson

I am writing this to you in the hope that you will actually read it, and reflect on its contents.

While arguing that black is white - that is to say, potentially being made to wait for hours in passport control is a good thing, our "socially liberal" MP has just done it again.

He cheers for Brexit, the Brexit which according to the Office for Budget Responsibility is responsible for a 4% drop in GDP (the COVID pandemic by comparison is responsible for only 2% according to the same source), which has resulted in shortages of goods and materials, labour shortages, and financial pain to many SMEs.

It's been a great result last week for the Lib Dems in England. Nearly two hundred NEW councillors elected. Three NEW councils under the Liberal Democrats' control, bringing the total to sixteen.

Sad that we had no candidate in Tamworth to demonstrate what the swing there to Lib Dems might have been, and of course there were no elections this year in Lichfield or East Staffordshire (wait for next year, though!).